I'm sorry
by asarcasticunicornliveshere
Summary: The Doctor knows he has caused his companions irreparable damage. He decides that he is better off alone and decides to send his companion home, against her wishes. *first attempt ever, also, terrible description. It isn't the best, but I wrote it for fun. Reviews, rude or otherwise will be taken into account. Thanks for your time!*


The TARDIS had just landed in the dark alley at the corner of the street. Fortunately, not many people chose to walk through it all that much for the fear of darkness, muggers, and well, just general fears. This made it the ideal spot to land in a neighbourhood that housed a lot of inquisitive beings.

Tara ran out of the TARDIS screaming "I'll be back in two minutes, just two".

"Tara?" the voice she had grown accustomed to hearing, even at the most odd times of the day, called out to her.

She halted in her tracks and looked around expectantly.

"I'll be two minutes, I just need to get a few things from upstairs" she said. She'd started to break into a run. The tall, lanky man just stared after her, this was the last thing he had wanted to do today. He was going to miss her so much. She had been able to fill a few of the many voids that had been present in his life, with her sarcastic wit, the curiosity in her large hazel eyes and her thirst to take in the sights of the universe.

"Tara!" he called out after her. She turned around once more, looking at the man who called himself "The Doctor". He had been dreading this, she would never even try to understand. "Tara, look. I've got something to tell you and I am sorry. I am so sorry", he began.

'What?' she replied with a dazed look. "Oh my God, Doctor! Can we please finish this once I've come back? I really need to go up and grab a few things!"

"I don't want you to come with me" he said, blatantly. If he managed to anger her it would be better, he would rather see her angry than cry.

"Oh yes, I suppose you're also thinking of giving up on this "time travel" nonsense. For God's sake, Doctor. You're a terrible prankster!" she giggled while saying.

"You don't understand, I don't want you to come with me".

"Oh come on! I know I've got my exams and all but they don't start for another three weeks, we can always come back here. You're a Time Lord, for God's sake! That is sort of one of the most important things you can do, especially since you have a TARDIS. You promised me you'd take me to Egypt! "

"No, Tara. You don't understand, I don't want you to come with me anymore".

"Oh my God, d'you think that I'm likely to believe this charade?" She looked at him disapprovingly. "Come on, stop toying with me, I'll just be back and we can go to Egypt! I'm dying to see the Giza Necropolis. D'you reckon I can share a bite with Pharaoh Tuts? That'll be the day!" she laughed.

"Tara!" he shouted this time. She turned around, alarmed. "What is it?" she had raised her voice just as quickly as he had. The man had a penchant for being infuriating at times. He had stumbled into her life a long while ago on a perfectly boring Monday morning. Even now, when she thought of the first time she had met this tall, handsome, intelligent humanoid alien in an exceptionally long coat, she had goosebumps. She was always a dreamer, she had her head up in the clouds ever since she could remember. He was her escape from the redundancy of the world and had come to be one of the most important people to her.

"Tara, I want you to have a normal life".

"Normal life? How d'you mean "normal"? This IS my normal" she shot back. This was getting increasingly irritating.

"Tara, life in the TARDIS is synonymous with uncertainty. You can never be sure of what'll happen next. It's all a rush, sure, and very enjoyable, but I want you to be safe", his voice cracked.

"Safe? SAFE?! You want me to be safe?! I'm with YOU! How could I not be safe?!" She screamed while feeling tears of anger forming at the back of her eyes. What did he mean by "safe"? She'd been travelling with him for a while now and her life had been at risk a few times, but she wouldn't have had it any other way.

The Doctor sighed. He didn't want to lose her, but he had no choice. He wanted her to be safe, have a home of her own, a family to go back to everyday, for the rest of her life.

"Tara, no one is safe with me. That's something I forget every time I have someone on the TARDIS. I want you to leave, I want you to be safe".

"I don't think that's your choice to make! You cannot show me the whole universe and then just take it away from me! I get to decide whether I want to leave, NOT YOU!" she replied, tears beginning to swim in her eyes.

"Please, I'm sorry. I can't ruin one more life. Not again. I can't do that again. It breaks my heart".

The Doctor looked at Tara, she was unusually quiet. As quick as lightning she ran back into the TARDIS, pushing past the Doctor onto the other side of the TARDIS. "I'm NOT leaving! I don't care what you say or think, I'm NOT leaving!"

"I'm sorry, Tara. I have to"

"I can't leave now! I've got so much more to see! You promised me you would take me to Egypt! There's so much more I have to see! I don't want to leave! Please, I don't want to leave, don't make me."

She sobbed into his chest, while he hugged her, knowing that he had made up his mind.

"Tara, I want you to be happy" he began. "I am happy! I'm happy with you here!" she begged.

He held her hand and walked her out of the TARDIS. He didn't want to do this, he wanted her to be around just as much as she did. He loved her. It wasn't romantic, it was very platonic, but he did. He loved the way her eyes lit up when he talked to her about the universe, when she took in the sights that she knew she had the privilege to see.

She was outside the TARDIS now, he was at the door. She was shaking and sobbing, her eyes begging him to allow her back in. He felt as if his heart was being shattered and tears were now pricking his eyes.

"YOU CAN'T DO THIS TO ME!" she hollered "You changed my life! You're taking away everything from me!"

"HOW AM I TAKING ANYTHING FROM YOU?!" he yelled back "If anything, I'm giving you back your life!"

"I don't want this life! This isn't life anymore!"

"What do you mean you don't want it? I can never have it! I can never have anything you have here! I can't grow old with anyone! Do you know how that feels?!" the Doctor bellowed.

"I never said I didn't want it! But I don't want to leave now! You show us these incredible things and then you leave! What are we supposed to do then?! Life is empty then! We've got to live up to these standards we build up from travelling the whole of space and time with you!" Her voice was beginning to go hoarse from screaming.

"I'm sorry, Tara. But I can't do this again, not one more person".

He was about to close the doors when he looked up at her. He had hated what he had done to her, he had reduced her to a sobbing, quaking, shadow of herself.

"Tara, you are amazing. You really are. Thank you for keeping this mad man company".

"IT'S NOT FAIR!" she cried.

He closed the doors and clicked the switch on. The TARDIS seemed to take longer than necessary to whirr to motion. He understood this as her way of prolonging the goodbye, but they just had to go.

Outside, Tara ran up to the TARDIS and started to bang the doors, hollering "Doctor, please! PLEASE! OPEN THE DOOR, PLEASE JUST OPEN THE DOOR! I'M BEGGING YOU! I CAN'T STAY HERE! YOU HAVE TO TAKE ME WITH YOU! OPEN THE DOORS, DOCTOR!"

And just like that, he had gone. The TARDIS had gone. She crumpled to the floor, blinded by the tears in her eyes, streaming down her cheeks. He had left and she would never see him again. She looked up at the sky, searching for the streak of bright blue that had become so familiar to her, but she never found it again.


End file.
